Bee Major

The sling chair looked inviting this morning. With a cup of hot tea in hand, I decided to sit down for a few minutes to soak in some warming rays of the morning sun. I settled back onto the cushioned headrest, my hat pulled down to shadow my eyes from the brightness. Within moments, I slipped into a peaceful quiet mood. As my breathing slowed, I drifted more deeply into thoughtlessness. My stillness seemed to be underscored by the comforting drone of bees.

Directly next to my chair was a beautiful patch of lavender in full bloom. The color and fragrance are magically attractive, but the nectar within the blossoms must be heavenly to the bees. I found myself humming along with them as they went about their daily routine. I closed my eyes and imagined myself inside an ancient stone sanctuary surrounded by meditating monks humming a ceaseless chant of Ohmmmmm.

The Sound of Lavender

After about 15 minutes of absorbing the sound, I became curious. What note were they all humming? Stepping into the studio I picked up my guitar and went out to the lavender to play along. I bent down closer and when I got within inches I could hear a prominent tone. Their buzzing note was clearly a G♭. With an ear tuned to their sound, I leaned in for closer listening. I could hear that they were actually making slightly different sounds, yet everything blended into one overall tone. I played a G♭Major chord and was surprised to find that I blended right in with their song—they were harmonizing! I was intrigued to discover that they were singing the notes in the chord. The G♭Major chord is unusual since it is the only one made up of all flats—G♭, D♭and B♭.

Bee Major

Is there some cosmic significance in this curious observation? Did I stumble onto one of the lesser-known secrets of bees? The answer for me is both surely not, and absolutely yes! There’s no doubt that my “observational” techniques were casual and undoubtedly flawed. The bees did not turn and look at me with cosmic admiration. We didn’t unify and become “one.” In fact, they appeared to be oblivious to my presence, not caring one whit that I was there listening and playing along.

But this everyday event drew me in and intrigued me. I surrendered and allowed myself to drift away into a state of imaginative play. In a sense, I was in collaboration with the universe through these tiny creatures. I felt connected momentarily to the bees in a very intimate awareness. In my curiosity, I abandoned my normal thoughts to shift my perspective. Today, I was the beneficiary of a huge charge of creative energy, thanks to my morning harmonic musings in bee and G♭Major.

Note: Since this discovery has influenced all of our music, you might want to check it out.